Higher Efficiency, Demand Flexible Refrigeration or Heat Pump Systems with On Demand Vibrational Deicing Technology

ABSTRACT

A refrigeration &amp; heat pump system is disclosed. The refrigeration &amp; heat pump system comprises a heat exchanger; one or more vibration systems attached to the heat exchanger; an amplifier connected to the one or more vibration systems; and a plurality of sensors attached to the heat exchanger. The vibration system can be a motor vibration system, a magnetic vibration system, a piezoelectric vibration, a fin vibration system, or a hammer vibration.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a refrigeration or heat pumpsystems and its defrosting process. More specifically, a higherefficiency refrigeration & heat pump systems with on demand vibrationaldeicing technology.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The lead inventor, invented the direct contact ultrasonic drying at thetime he worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and launchedUltrasonic Technology Solutions, a startup company, back in 2018.Ultrasonic Technology Solutions, an ORNL spinoff company specialized inthe wide applications of ultrasonic transducers and other variousvibrational technologies.

Unlike the conventional systems, the proposed advanced vibrationaldeicing process uses no or low heat for defrosting. Instead, it uses themicro vibrations imposed by vibrational mechanisms such as piezoelectrictransducers to mechanically break ice from the heat exchanger almostinstantaneously. The technology offers the potential of significantenergy savings by eliminating the defrost cycle, improving the systemdemand responsiveness, sensing on-board frost thickness, reducing fanpower, and subcooling the liquid refrigerant, as well as increasing therefrigeration cycle performance by reducing the temperature liftrequired between evaporator and the air. The technology will alsosignificantly improve the product/food quality by minimizing oreliminating the temperature swing in the refrigeration & heat pumpsystems/freezer, retaining the quality of the stored frozen food, amajor non-energy benefit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A refrigeration or a heat pumping system is disclosed. The refrigerationsystem comprises a heat exchanger; one or more vibration systemsattached to the heat exchanger;

an amplifier connected to one or more vibration systems; and a pluralityof sensors attached to the heat exchanger.

In one embodiment, the present invention can include a motor vibrationsystem.

In some embodiments, the present invention can include a magneticvibration. system,

In some embodiments, the present invention can include a piezoelectricvibration,

In some other embodiments, the present invention can include a finvibration system.

In yet some other embodiments, the present invention can include ahammer vibration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describingselected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limitthe scope of the present invention.

As a preliminary matter, it will readily be understood by one havingordinary skill in the relevant art that the present disclosure has broadutility and application. As should be understood, any embodiment mayincorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed aspects ofthe disclosure and may further incorporate only one or a plurality ofthe above-disclosed features. Furthermore, any embodiment discussed andidentified as being “preferred” is considered to be part of a best modecontemplated for carrying out the embodiments of the present disclosure.Other embodiments also may be discussed for additional illustrativepurposes in providing a full and enabling disclosure. Moreover, manyembodiments, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, andequivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodimentsdescribed herein and fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Accordingly, while embodiments are described herein in detail inrelation to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that thisdisclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present disclosure andare made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enablingdisclosure. The detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments isnot intended, nor is to be construed, to limit the scope of patentprotection afforded in any claim of a patent issuing here from, whichscope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof. It isnot intended that the scope of patent protection be defined by readinginto any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appearin the claim itself. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope ofpatent protection is to be defined by the issued claim(s) rather thanthe description set forth herein.

Additionally, it is important to note that each term used herein refersto that which an ordinary artisan would understand such term to meanbased on the contextual use of such term herein. To the extent that themeaning of a term used herein—as understood by the ordinary artisanbased on the contextual use of such term—differs in any way from anyparticular dictionary definition of such term, it is intended that themeaning of the term as understood by the ordinary artisan shouldprevail.

Furthermore, it is important to note that, as used herein, “a” and “an”each generally denotes “at least one,” but does not exclude a pluralityunless the contextual use dictates otherwise. When used herein to join alist of items, “or” denotes “at least one of the items,” but does notexclude a plurality of items of the list. Finally, when used herein tojoin a list of items, “and” denotes “all of the items of the list.”

A single-layer piezoelectric transducer, which can be as low in cost asa few cents when bought in bulk, can have an extremely small footprint,and be attached to thin sheets of metal like those used for evaporatorfins. When powered by an alternating voltage at the resonance frequencyof assembly, it can generate a powerful sub-micron vibration distributedalong the sheet metal. When using many simplified assumptions, the wavepropagation along the sheet metal (fins) can be estimated by the Besselfunctions. These micro-vibrations can break the ice crystals. The icedebris formed in this process can be stored and used to precool theincoming water to the icemaker machine during the peak time, reducingboth energies required for icemaking and making the system demandresponsive.

According to a study done by NIST, icemaking can increase therefrigeration & heat pump systems energy consumption by 12-20%. Theproposed technology not only reduces the defrosting energy but alsoreduces the icemaking energy requirements. In addition, the mechanicalvibrational deicing enables the refrigeration & heat pump systems to beresponsive to the grid signals (if/when available) and perform thedeicing instantaneously during the low demand times. In commercialrefrigeration applications, the mechanically removed ice can not onlyreduce the defrosting energy, but also the broken ice crystals can beused for refrigerant subcooling. Also, due to minimum or no thermalswing during the deicing process, the improved food storage quality isanother non-energy benefit of the technology.

The resonance frequency of the piezo changes with loading amount (i.e.the higher the frost mass, m, the lower the resonance frequency,f→f˜√(k/m).) During the preliminary experiment, we have already seen asignificant shift in the resonance frequency of the piezo (measured byan impedance analyzer) as frost built up on the metal sheet. Suchcritical information could make the defrosting process smarter and moredemand responsive.

The third innovation involves our proprietary, low cost, highefficiency, flexible amplifier that has a very small footprint. Theamplifier not only can power the piezoelectric transducers, but also itcan be made to send unique pulses to the piezos and interpret thefeedback. Based on the feedback from the piezos, it can understand thestate of the piezoelectric transducers (i.e. frost loading on thepiezo). This feature makes it very compatible with demand response andcan be blended with artificial intelligence (AI) software. Under thispatent, we have developed the hardware and platform that can do thedeicing efficiently and provide signals associated with ice thickness,and all of this will be done on a microcontroller and platform that willbe easily upgraded for those AI applications (if/when needed).

In one configuration, the technology may use other vibration generationmechanisms to introduce vibration to the heat exchanger or fins. Theseinclude and are not limited to high-speed motors with off-balance mass,stacks of piezoelectric elements, magnetic vibration generators or anyvariations of these.

As shown in the FIG. 1 , the present invention provides a refrigeration& heat pump system 100 that comprises one or more heat exchanger 60which can be under frosting conditions, one ore more vibration systems20, 40, 50 attached to different sections of the heat exchanger 60, oneore more amplifier 10 that is connected to the vibration systems 20, 40,50 and drives this vibration system 20, 40, 50, and finally, a pluralityof sensors 30 that provide control data such as frost thickness,refrigerant superheat pressure/temperature, weather data, humidity data,power grid data that can optimize the best time for triggering thevibration system 20, 40, 50.

In some embodiments, the sensors 30 can be communicatively connected toa user device. The user device can be a smart phone or other similardevice that can display the control data.

The modal analysis conducted using a finite element method indicatedthat the lower modal resonance frequencies of various sections withinthe heat exchanger can range from 20 Hz to 10 kHz. In particular, whendefrosting the heat exchanger fins, the required frequency may fallwithin the range of 30 Hz to 8 kHz. The higher modal resonancefrequencies can be also used depending on the application.

Vibration Systems

In one configuration, the present invention may include a motorvibration system 20 which includes one or multiple motors with eccentricmass can be mounted on the rigid parts of the heat exchanger 60. Whenthe combination of the RPM and when the eccentric mass is spun at aspecific RPM, the force applied to the refrigeration & heat pump system100 causes frost to break off of the fin surface.

In another embodiment, the present invention may include a magneticvibration system 20 by which the vibration can be induced by a magneticgenerator or speakers. These devices use magnetic fields to induce forceto a ferrite material to apply alternating force on an object. Thesemagnetic vibration systems 20 are well-suited for higher-frequencyapplications.

In another embodiment, the present invention may include a piezoelectricvibration system 20 by which piezoelectric transducers can inducevibration on the heat exchanger or the fins. When a single stack ofpiezo electric transducers is placed under the heat exchanger's mountingpoints or on the fixed side walls or directly on the fins, the generatedfrequency can be tuned to apply enough amplitude at a specific frequencyto break ice crystals mechanically.

In another embodiment, the present invention may include a fin vibrationsystem 40 by which the vibration on the fin can be applied by slidingflicker pins or brushes to gently penetrate between two adjacent fins sothat when they move, like a guitar string. To eliminate the fin damagethrough this process, the fin and flicker material can be made ofcompatible material. For the full-size heat exchanger, this mechanismmay include a wiper-type slider with an actuator activated at certainintervals.

In the last embodiment, the present invention may include a hammervibration 20 system by which the vibration can be introduced by hittingan object to the side of the heat exchanger. This hammer-like mechanismcan be motivated by a magnetic drive or piezoelectric drive system ormotor driven. In this configuration, the applied impulse force is equalto a change in the momentum of an object divided by the duration ofimpact.

The amplifier portion 10 of the product may include a high-current ACvoltage generator with current sensing operated by an intelligentcontroller. The vibration systems (20, 40, 50) can be driven at fixed ACvoltage, with current measured. The operating frequency is varied tomaximize this current, with the assumption that maximum current drawoccurs at mechanical resonance.

The proposed technology is totally new in terms of how ice can beremoved from the surface. Unlike the conventional passive solutions, ouractive non-thermal solution will utilize our recent discovery ofmicro-vibrational ice crystal breaking and apply it to the defrostingprocess. This active solution will significantly improve the efficiencyand at the same time the demand responsiveness of the refrigerationcycles. Also, we propose to collect cold frost particles to sub-cool therefrigerant leaving the condenser.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferredembodiment, it is to be understood that many other possiblemodifications and variations can be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A refrigeration & heat pump system comprising:one or more heat exchangers; one or more vibration systems attached tothe heat exchanger; one or more amplifiers connected to the one or morevibration systems; and a plurality of sensors attached to the heatexchanger.
 2. The refrigeration & heat pump system as claimed in claim1, wherein the vibration system is a motor vibration system.
 3. Therefrigeration & heat pump system as claimed in claim 1, wherein thevibration system is a magnetic vibration system.
 4. The refrigeration &heat pump system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vibration system isa piezoelectric vibration.
 5. The refrigeration & heat pump system asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the vibration system is a fin vibrationsystem.
 6. The refrigeration & heat pump system as claimed in claim 4,wherein the vibration system includes a hammer vibration.
 7. Therefrigeration & heat pump system as claimed in claim 5, wherein thevibration system includes a hammer vibration.
 8. The refrigeration &heat pump system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensors arecommunicatively connected to a user device.
 9. A refrigeration & heatpump system comprising: a heat exchanger; one or more vibration systemsattached to the heat exchanger, wherein the vibration system includes amotor vibration system; an amplifier connected to the one or morevibration systems; and a plurality of sensors attached to the heatexchanger, wherein the sensors are communicatively connected to a userdevice.
 10. The refrigeration & heat pump system as claimed in claim 9,wherein the vibration system is a magnetic vibration system.
 11. Therefrigeration & heat pump system as claimed in claim 9, wherein thevibration system is a piezoelectric vibration.
 12. The refrigeration &heat pump system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the vibration system isa fin vibration system.
 13. The refrigeration & heat pump system asclaimed in claim 11, wherein the vibration system includes a hammervibration.
 14. The refrigeration & heat pump system as claimed in claim12, wherein the vibration system includes a hammer vibration.
 15. Arefrigeration & heat pump system comprising: a heat exchanger; one ormore vibration systems attached to the heat exchanger, wherein thevibration system includes a piezoelectric vibration; an amplifierconnected to the one or more vibration systems; and a plurality ofsensors attached to the heat exchanger, wherein the sensors arecommunicatively connected to a user device.
 16. The refrigeration & heatpump system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the vibration system is amotor vibration system.
 17. The refrigeration & heat pump system asclaimed in claim 15, wherein the vibration system is a magneticvibration system.
 18. The refrigeration & heat pump system as claimed inclaim 15, wherein the vibration system is a fin vibration system. 19.The refrigeration & heat pump system as claimed in claim 17, wherein thevibration system includes a hammer vibration.
 20. The refrigeration &heat pump system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the vibration systemincludes a hammer vibration.